Survival of the Strongest
by Crittab
Summary: A shooting at Chilton becomes the worst nightmare of Rory, Tristan, Lorelai, and Luke as they suffer through the agony and uncertainty of the event. Note the strong M rating. Trory and Javajunkie undertones. Completed.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own GG.

Warning: This has a lot of violence, sexual violence, and bad language. If you're sensitive I don't suggest reading it. Note the strong M rating.

**Survival of the Strongest**

**Present**

Luke had closed the diner the moment she had called. He wasted no time rushing to his car and to her side as she, along with the several other parents waited outside of police barricades waiting, and hoping desperately for word. Hoping for their children to be safe. In the back of his mind he wondered why it had been him she called. Why not Christopher? That would have made more sense. But the only thing he allowed himself to dwell on right now was finding Lorelai in the growing crowd, and calming her as they waited.

Lorelai had never felt so desperate before. She had never had this kind of nervous anxiety filling her to capacity as she waited with no way to help. She wanted someone there to hold her up, she felt she could barely stand. The words from the radio kept circling through her head 'A gunman at Chilton… Shots Fired… Several wounded or dead…' She couldn't think straight. Without a second thought she pulled out her cell phone as she drove top speed toward the school dialing the number to 'Luke's' by memory. When he answered, she couldn't recall what she had said. It was frantic, and when she hung up merely seconds later, she knew he'd come. He'd hold her up as she waited. She only made it as far as the end of the street to Chilton when she was met by the growing crowd of petrified parents, and a police barricade standing in their way.

**9:45 AM**

Rory sat in her class, hanging on to every word Mr. Lucas said about the Pharaohs in Egypt and, in particular, Pharaoh Hatshepsut, the woman who had ruled the country successfully for years. She loved hearing about strong women in the past and present. It made her feel like she could be one of them. Maybe she wouldn't rule a country, but she could make a difference, and stories about those such as Hatshepsut, Margaret Thatcher, and even Hilary Clinton made her feel strong.

The lesson was interrupted by chaos coming from the hallway outside. A few people ran screaming down the hallway past the classroom, causing all of the heads in the room to turn towards the commotion. Mr. Lucas rolled his eyes and sauntered to the door, intending to put a stop to the ridiculous manner in which the students were behaving. He stepped out of the classroom.

Time, to Rory, seemed to slow down. One moment he was standing there, tall and arrogant, and the next he was falling backward. It took her a moment to register that the liquid pooling around him was his own blood. She heard muffled shrieks coming from several people in the classroom. She could only sit there as a few other students raced to the door, both checking on the teacher, and peeking out to see what had caused such events.

More shrieks. The people at the door had apparently spotted something that startled them. A few ran. Rory heard bangs. She didn't know what to think of them. Her eyes were fixated on the teacher. One student grabbed the man and pulled his limp body into the room, while another slammed the door shut and attempted to lock it. A girl in the corner of the room was crying. A boy had his head down and appeared to be praying. Rory could only stare at the man.

Her attention was diverted by a loud bang on the door to the classroom, and a menacing voice taunting those inside.

"Come out and play with us," the voice said. Rory looked around, a sense of panic coming over her. She looked to her left, frightened students. She looked to her right, more frightened students. She looked behind her, and was met with the wide, blue eyes of Tristan, who appeared to be calmer then the rest, but still very aware. He looked her deep in the eyes. She felt he was trying to comfort her.

Another loud bang on the door. She could see one boy's face in the window, he glared at all of them. His eyes met Rory's, and she knew he could sense her fear. Without warning, a shot came through the glass in the door, and then an elbow, and then an arm, which swiftly unlocked the door. It wasn't long before the first gunman burst through the door, followed closely by two more.

"Well what do we have here?" he question, a sadistic smile forming on his face.

"What the hell are you doing, Man," came a boy from the corner, who apparently knew the gunmen. The boy just shrugged.

"Just having some fun," he answered simply. He looked around the room before settling his gaze on Rory. She tried to sink back in her chair, hoping he would move on. Instead he sauntered toward her, flipping his gun around on his finger like a toy. She could see another gun tucked into the waist band of his pants, along with an assortment of other things which she could only assume were weapons. Her breaths quickened as he neared her.

"Hey there," he said, crouching down beside her chair. He leaned an elbow on her table, veering much closer then she would have preferred. His tone was polite, conversational. The glint in his eye proved otherwise.

"Hey, Man. Why don't you just leave her alone?" Rory heard from behind her. She glanced quickly, finding Tristan glaring at the boy, grinding his teeth. The boy chuckled lightly and stood back up straight.

"Oh yes, because you're King Tristan. And we all have to do what King Tristan says, right boys?" he said, questioning his fellow gunmen. They all voice their taunting replies. Tristan swallowed hard, his angry gaze not leaving the gunman's.

"No, because she didn't do anything to you, so leave her alone," Tristan replied, not backing down. Rory couldn't understand what compelled him to speak up in the first place, but now, seeing the anger in the gunman's eyes, she wished he would just shut up.

"Tristan," she warned softly. The gunman turned his gaze swiftly between the two.

"I've got these two, gents. You can do what you want with the rest," he said. He took the other gun out of his pants and pointed it at Tristan, while he trained the original gun on Rory. She held her breath, not knowing if his intent was to kill her or taunt her.

"Come with me," he ordered. Rory hesitantly stood, Tristan grabbed her hand.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Tristan asked the boy. He spoke through clenched teeth.

"Look, I'm the one with the gun. I've already used it once. I suggest you do what I say." Rory looked desperately between the boy and Tristan, and then around the room at all of the frightened faces. She silently begged Tristan to just comply, praying to avoid conflict with their obviously troubled schoolmate. Reluctantly, Tristan conceded and stood up, never letting go one her hand. In that moment, Rory was thankful for the friendly contact, hoping he'd help to keep her shaky legs from giving out under her weight.

They were ushered ahead of the boy and out of the room. They walked, Rory with her eyes trained on the ground, and Tristan staring straight ahead. After they exited the room, Rory jumped when she heard a shot come from inside the room, and the terrified screams of her classmates. She prayed the same fate wouldn't await She and Tristan in whatever location they were being taken to.

They turned down a hallway Rory hadn't spent much time in, and as they walked toward a room, she spotted a man laying down, blood pooling around him much as it had around Mr. Lucas. Her breath caught in her throat, Tristan squeezed her hand. She recognized the man as a member of the janitorial staff as they were ushered by him into the small janitorial closet where he had obviously just exited before being cruelly shot down by these people.

"Sit down," the boy ordered, motioning to the floor. Tristan glared at him, but complied, seeing Rory quickly do as she was told. He sat close to her and put an arm around her comfortingly. She could admit to herself that she was thankful that he had been the one to come with her. He seemed strong enough for the both of them.

The boy, who had seemed quite assured before, now showed a glint of uncertainty in his eyes. For a faint moment Rory thought he was coming to his senses, but that hope was dashed when, without warning, the boy swung a hard kick in the direction of Tristan, landing his foot across his jaw.

"Fuck," Tristan exclaimed as he jerked his hand to his face. He could taste blood in mouth.

"Yea, Fuck is right. Fuck you. You trying to look like you're so fucking tough back there. Well, you're not tough. You're just a fucking poser asshole," he exclaimed. He raised his gun and pointed it towards Tristan.

"No," Rory cried out, finally finding her voice. The boy looked to her for a moment, then trained his eyes back on Tristan. "Please don't do this," she pleaded. Her pleas were cut short by the sound of another bang. It took her a moment to register that the boy had fired the gun. She jerked her gaze to Tristan, and her eyes blurred with tears. He slumped down against the wall, his hand grasping at his stomach where blood seeped through his fingers. Rory could hear his laboured breathing and his moans of pain, and tried to help him apply pressure to the wound, but was reared back by the gunman pulling on her shoulder. He hoisted her up so roughly and quickly she could barely register what was happening. Before she knew it her back was flush against the wall and her face was just inches from the gunman's own.

**10:00 Am**

Lorelai was wandering around the inn, checking up on everyone, ensuring that everything was being done. She was in a characteristically good mood as she wandered into her office, taking a comfortable leather seat, and flicking on the radio, hoping for some good tunes to get her through her paperwork.

She was midway through a Bangles hit when the song was interrupted.

"Breaking News from Hartford," came the feminine voice of the radio host, "There are reports of a Gunman, or several at Chilton Preparatory School. According to those inside, shots have been fired, and at least three people are wounded, possibly dead. The school is in the process of evacuating the students and sending them on buses to Hartford Middle School where police are asking parents to go. It is unclear how many gunman there are, and how many people have actually been hurt. We'll keep you informed as the information comes in…" by this time Lorelai had stopped listening. Her world froze and she could hardly breathe.

'Gunman at Chilton…. Shots fired… wounded or dead' the words were like a carousel in her head. She jumped from her seat and grabbed her car keys, not bothering to turn of the radio as she burst out of the inn and to her car.

She drove for several moments, feeling her resolve slipping away as she feared the worst for her daughter. She needed someone strong to be there with her, to keep her strong as she waited for news on her daughter. Without a second thought, she phoned Luke.

**So this was meant to be a quick oneshot, but it kind of took on a life of it's own. I know it's a tough subject, so please let me know what you thought. I hope you liked (like is a relative term) it. Let me know.**


	2. Chapter 2

Survival of the Strongest pt. 2

**Present**

Time stood still as Lorelai waited in the crowd at the barricade before Chilton. The police kept telling them 'Go to the Middle School, your children are being bussed there', but Lorelai couldn't shake the intense feeling that this was where she needed to be. This is where Rory needed her. She barely noticed as Luke walked up behind her.

"Lorelai?" he asked, she was pulled out of her reverie and looked up at him. Her resolve broke. She sobbed once, her breath catching in her throat. Without a word, Luke pulled her to him. He knew he'd have to be strong for her, even though his panic was growing with each passing moment.

**Inside**

**  
**Rory felt panicked as the boy leaned against her. She could feel the cold barrel of the gun which he pressed firmly against her throat.

"Please stop this," she cried softly. He grinned that sadistic grin and just pressed harder against her.

"Now what fun would that be?" he asked. His sickeningly pleasant tone made Rory sick to her stomach. She attempted to look down at Tristan, who was barely moving at this point, but the boy grabbed her face. "Look at me!" he demanded. She fought to look into his eyes, which were a dark brown, nearly black. She bit her lip to keep from saying the several choice words which came to mind. Talking back to these people had proven to be a bad idea.

"What do you want?" Rory asked softly. He laughed lightly and continued to press against her. She could feel what he wanted. It made her sick. He pulled the gun down and tucked it into a pocket in his pants, bringing his other hand up to restrain her against the wall.

"Just a little fun," he said. His cryptic answers both annoyed and frightened her. She wanted to scream. She wanted to run. With one hand now around her neck, she found neither was an option.

"Please stop this," she said, as he ground against her once again. He just shook his head, chuckling. In one smooth move he undid the button and zipper of his pants, allowing them to fall down to his knees. He the reached a hand down, pulling up her skirt by the hem. She stifled a cry as his hand grazed the inside of her thigh as it worked it way up. She tried to struggle against him, to which he grabbed her by the shirt and pounded her back against the wall, nearly knocking her wind out of her.

"Do mess with me, Bitch," he exclaimed. He released her shirt with one of his hands and reached down into his boxers. She felt sick as she watched him stroke himself in front of her. Finally he took his hand out of his boxers, but then proceeded to push them down to join his pants, which were now at his ankles. She could see he had another gun in a holster around his left leg. "What you looking at, bitch?" he asked menacingly. "My gun, or my cock?" She swallowed back bile which had worked it way up. "Answer me!" he yelled, alarming her.

"I don't know," she exclaimed, stammering, "Both, I guess," she said, finally settling upon an answer she hoped wouldn't upset him. He grinned that sickening grin and ground against her again.

"You like that, bitch? Are you a fucking slut?" he asked. His attempt at dirty talk was doing nothing to warm Rory up to the situation.

"Stop it," she said, reservedly. She wished he would finally back off, however, this seemed to only propel his actions. He grabbed one of her hands and, with effort, brought it down to his stiff member. She tried to pull it back, to which he, again, pounded her against the wall. This was beginning to cause an ache in her tailbone, and the back of her head, which had now made contact with the hard wall twice. She allowed him to guide her hand. He pried open her fist, and then closed it around his shaft, clamping it there with his own hand. She fought back the urge to throw up once again.

He began to move in her hand. He moaned loudly, seeing the pain on her face. Finally, he let go of her hand, and she jerked it away, unconsciously wiping it on her shirt.

"What? Am I so repulsive to you that you can't bear to have me in your hands?" he demanded. She just closed her eyes tightly, willing away the tears that were now threatening to fall. Without warning, he spun her around. She found herself pressed against the wall with her back to him, his erection now grinding into her backside. Her hands were locked above her head by his hand, while his other hand pulled up the material of her skirt. She fought back against him, he just pushed against her hard, her forehead banging hard against the wall. She felt dizzy, and weak. She felt helpless.

**Outside**

Several of the other parents had agreed to go wait at the school, while others stayed and demanded entrance to Chilton to find their children. Many had come from the middle school after not finding their children's names on the lists that had been produced. Lorelai asked each one of them if they had seen Rory's name, to which they all answered 'no'.

Luke kept one hand on Lorelai's back at all times. Although he had let her take the reigns in questioning and demanding, he felt an obligation to keep her consoled.

Finally, after what seemed like and eternity, Lorelai backed down and decided to go to the middle school to search for her daughter there. Luke was pleased with the change of scenery, hoping beyond hope that they would find her there.

When they arrived at the school there were dozens of students and parents already reunited. This gave Lorelai a glimmer of hope as she raced toward the gym where they were being directed. Luke stopped to check the many lists at the door to the gym, while Lorelai ran in and began to search the masses for her daughter.

Luke skimmed the list, becoming more and more frustrated as the names were unfamiliar. When he finished the list he let out an angered growl and headed in to find Lorelai. It took him a moment to spot her. She was now standing on a chair, eagerly looking around for her daughter. When he reached her she noted the disappointed look in his eyes and came down off of the chair.

"I knew she wouldn't be here," Lorelai said softly. "It's that motherly instinct. I just knew." Luke nodded and sighed.

"That doesn't mean she isn't safe," he offered, not entirely feeling like it was the truth. Lorelai sighed and nodded.

"Lets hope you're right," she said. He swallowed hard. She stepped by him and went to the doors of the gym, looking around.

"What are you looking for?" he asked, walking up behind her.

"Someone who can tell me when the next bus is going to get here," she explained. She spotted a gentleman in a business suit and a clipboard in hand, deciding her was the one to talk to.

"Excuse me," she said, walking up to him. He looked distracted, but offered her a portion of his attention. "Do you know if there's another bus on the way?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Haven't had one in about fifteen minutes. Before that they were piling in," he told her.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Can you tell us _anything_?" he shrugged.

"Not really." She began to lose her temper.

"For God sakes, why the hell are you standing here looking all official if you aren't going to give us any freaking information?" she exclaimed. The man just shook his head.

"I don't have any information to give you. Look, if you haven't found your kid yet, I suggest you just go back inside and wait like the rest of the parents." Lorelai was livid. Luke felt just as angry. She shook her head determinedly.

"To hell with this," she said. She stalked away from the man toward the exit. Luke followed closely.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Back to Chilton," she said determinedly.

"And what do you hope to accomplish there?" he asked.

"I'm going to find my daughter," she said. He sighed deeply and grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face him. She looked at him, agitated.

"What?" she asked.

"If you go back to Chilton you're only going to get as far as the barricade."

"Well, what the hell else am I supposed to do?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Wait here. She'll be on a bus soon," he told her.

"And what if she isn't, Luke? What the hell will waiting here do if she isn't on a bus?" he looked at her, no words coming to mind. She calmed down slightly, seeing the look of silent desperation in his eyes. "I can't just do nothing," her voice was calmer. He nodded his understanding. Without another word the two headed out of the building and to the car. At least if they were going to wait, they'd do it where they may actually be of some help.

**Let me know your thoughts**


	3. Chapter 3

**Inside**

Rory felt his sweaty hands rub along her inner thigh, working their way up higher and higher until they grazed the hem of her underwear. The touch made her shudder, which he took to be a good thing.

"You like that, hey bitch?" he said softly in her ear. She thought to fight back, but her head was now swelling, and her vision had long since blurred. She opted to say nothing, hoping to give him no satisfaction. He just chuckled that sickening little chuckle. "Thought so," he told her. He worked his hands up to the waist band of her underwear and tucked his fingers under them, slowly, tortuously pulling them down, allowing them to fall at her ankles.

"Please stop," she uttered again, barely whispering the words. He wouldn't be deterred. He reached down with his hands, rubbing his palm over her now bare behind. She felt humiliated. He allowed his fingers to slip between her legs, placing one at the her opening. She tensed. He bucked against her, retaining his control.

"Don't be so uptight. You're gonna like this, slut," he told her. She could feel his upright erection resting against her backside. He pulled her out slightly from the wall, bending her over. She looked straight down at the ground where she could see Tristan laying limply to her side. She stared at him, noticing that his breathing was shallow. For a moment she forgot about what was happening to her and focused on her worry for him, hoping he wouldn't bleed to death before they were found.

Behind her, the boy continued to stare at her most private places. He took two fingers and harshly inserted them into Rory. She cried out, not being ready for the pain of having this happen to her. Quickly, and mercilessly, he plunged the fingers in and out of her. She had never felt more violated, but feared there was more to come.

She looked to Tristan again. He needed help. She needed control. She couldn't allow this to go further. She felt dizzy, tired, terrified.

The boy began to tire of his ministrations, and despite the complete lack of natural lubricant on Rory's part, he decided to take this to the next level.

Rory felt him place his erection at her opening. She knew she had never been more terrified then in that moment.

He attempted to push into her, barely making headway. She cried out, the pain was excruciating. He continued to push. She could barely stand the pain. She knew he was now preoccupied, and decided to end this now. This far, no further.

In one blurred motion, she pulled away from him, dropping him out of her fiercely. She retrieved the gun from the holster on his leg and aimed and fired.

He staggered back, his legs becoming tied up in his pants, and he fell backwards. He was bleeding painfully from his chest, barely conscious, naked, and angry. With the last of his strength he retrieved the gun from his pants and shot at Rory before passing out against the opposite wall to where Tristan lay. Rory sunk down against the wall. The bullet had hit her in the stomach. She'd never felt such intense pain. Slowly the room began to darken, and with one final, worried glance to Tristan, she passed out.

**Outside**

Lorelai and Luke had been waiting for hours. It was three in the afternoon when police finally entered the building after being assured that all non-wounded students were out.

They continued to wait, standing close to a police officer, hearing the reports over his radio.

The police began to sweep the building in teams. They quickly found the classroom where Rory had been. The gunmen were no longer inside, they heard over the radio that they had been found dead in the cafeteria, along with four other students and a teacher. In the classroom there were two dead students, and one in the corner, bleeding profusely, as well as Mr. Lucas whom had been killed immediately by the bullet.

As they continued their search they found more wounded, and a few more bodies of those less fortunate. A team of three police officers finally stumbled upon the dead Janitor. As they had been opening every door along their way, they decided to pull open the door to the janitorial closet, not expecting to find what they did.

A boy lay half naked in a pool of blood against the door. He fell out as they opened the door. They could tell that he was the third gunman. They then spotted Rory and Tristan against the back wall. Rory was hunched over Tristan, both of whom were breathing shallowly with gunshot wounds to the stomach.

"We've got two wounded and two dead in the second floor janitorial closet," Lorelai heard over the radio. She held her breath while the policeman ordered paramedics in with stretchers.

Lorelai stopped listening to the radio at that point. She felt it in her gut. She could no longer focus on anything but the doors to the school.

Luke noticed her sudden change in interest and followed her gaze to the school. After what seemed like hours the paramedics hurried out with four stretchers. On the first one Lorelai saw a blonde boy she recognized but couldn't place. The next two were covered by sheets. She held her breath as the fourth came out. She saw her. Rory, laying there, pale and unmoving.

She choked back a sob.

"Lets go," Luke said, pulling her away. She fought against him for a moment.

"Go where? She's right there!" Lorelai argued.

"To the hospital, Lorelai. She's going to need us there." Lorelai stopped fighting against him and looked back to where they were speedily loading Rory into an ambulance. Without a second thought she bolted to Luke's truck, and they took off, speeding after the ambulance.

It was nearly nine o'clock when Lorelai and Luke, whom had been in the waiting room, finally were approached by a doctor. Hours earlier Emily and Richard had arrived, along with the Dugrey's, who introduced themselves as the blonde boy's parents.

"Are you the families of Rory Gilmore and Tristan Dugrey?" he asked. They all nodded their relationships and waited for the news. "We'll start with Mr. Dugrey. He's lost a lot of blood, and is terribly weak. Most of his trauma is as a result of that. The bullet, which hit him in the abdomen managed to avoid all of the major organs. He should recover, but he's very weak. He'll need lots of attention over the next several weeks."

"Thank god," Tristan's mother sighed, clinging to his father, whom had proven to be a very stoic man, not unlike Richard.

"What about Rory," Lorelai asked. She grasped Luke's hand, needing his support.

"Rory is in pretty good shape. The bullet went straight through, so we didn't have to remove it. It also didn't pierce any organs. Although she did lose quite a bit of blood, she should make a full recovery. Also, she has several bumps on her head, one of which is concussed. We'd like to keep her for a few days and keep an eye on her, but otherwise she should be okay." Lorelai released the breath she had unknowingly been holding.

"Can we go see her now?" she asked. He hesitated. "What is it?"

"There's something else. Can I speak with you alone for a moment?" he asked Lorelai. She looked at him worriedly, but nodded, walking after him. She didn't, however, let go of Luke's hand. He followed them as well, leaving Emily and Richard unimpressed in their wake.

"What's going on? Is Rory okay?" Lorelai asked, all of her fears swelling up inside of her once more. The doctor sighed.

"Given the situation we found your daughter in… have you been apprised of that situation?" Lorelai and Luke both shook their heads. The doctor sighed. "When your daughter was found the gunman was missing his pants and underwear, and Rory's underwear had been pulled down. We performed a rape kit on her." Lorelai gasped, covering her mouth with her hand to keep from vomiting at the thought.

"Oh my God," she cried softly. Luke pulled her to him.

"Now, there is no ejaculate present on your daughter, but there is significant tearing. I'm afraid that this ordeal may have severely scarred your daughter- I want you to know this so that when she gets out of her you can seek proper counseling for her, and give her all of the support she needs to overcome this attack. She's going to need your full support," he told them. Lorelai couldn't speak. The though of this boy doing something so terrible to her daughter made her sick to her stomach. Luke swallowed hard.

"Of course. We'll do everything we can for her," he answered for her. The doctor nodded and gestured for them to follow him back to where the group was waiting.

"Tristan is in room fourteen, Rory is in room fifteen. We'll be in and out checking on them periodically throughout the evening. You're welcome to go see them now." With that the doctor left them. Richard and Emily waited a moment, hoping Lorelai would tell them what the doctor had said. She simply stared ahead.

"I have to see Rory," she said softly. She quickly set to motion, finding the room, and entering alone. Luke and the Gilmore's opted to stay outside for a moment to give Lorelai a moment with her daughter.

Lorelai slowly entered the room. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of her daughter hooked up to an IV drip, looking more pale and sickly then she ever had before. Slowly she made her way to Rory's bedside, taking a seat in the chair that was there. She took her small hand in both of hers and shuddered, thinking of what her baby had been through.

"Rory?" she asked in a small, childlike tone. Rory didn't respond. "Oh baby, I'm so sorry," Lorelai cried, small tears falling out of her eyes. She reached forward and grazed a finger over her cheek, careful to avoid the bump on her forehead which she could see through the bandage. "What on earth did he do to you?"

Emily and Richard peeked in the room, finding Lorelai hunched over the bed.

"Lorelai," Richard said calmly. She jerked her head up to look at him. "We're going to head home. We'll come by tomorrow," he told her. She nodded and smiled lightly.

"Thanks for being here," she said softly. They nodded and said their goodbyes, walking out. A moment later Luke made an entrance.

"She looks so fragile," Lorelai said in a whisper. Luke sighed deeply, feeling pain just looking at the girls feeble appearance.

"Maybe I should go home, let you guys be alone," Luke suggested softly. Lorelai looked up at him, almost desperately.

"Can you stay? I could really use some company right now," she pleaded softly. He swallowed hard and nodded.

"Yea, I'll stay as long as you want me to." She sighed and looked back at Rory.

"I keep picturing him. I keep seeing him putting his hands on her, and hurting her, and it just… ugh, it infuriates me," Lorelai said. Her tone was angry but soft. Luke nodded, pulling a chair up next to her.

"I know," he agreed.

"How could someone do that? How could he do something so sickening to _my_ daughter?" He just shook his head.

"She's okay now, Lorelai. He's dead, she's alive. She won," he said softly, hoping that small tidbit of information would console her. She just bit her lip and looked back at Rory's feeble form.

"I just wish I could have been there for her," she said, tears now forming in her eyes. "To help her, you know? To keep her safe."

"Hey, don't do that," Luke said firmly. She looked up at him.

"What?"

"Don't go blaming yourself. This was not your fault. You could not have prevented this from happening." Lorelai looked at though she was about to protest, but thought better of it.

"I know.. it's just, seeing her here like this. I just wish I could have done something to stop it."

"I know," he said, taking her hand. She nodded, realizing he understood and turned back to her sleeping daughter. They sat in silence for a moment.

"Luke?" she asked in a small voice a moment later.

"Mm?" he responded. She waited another moment, and looked back to him, meeting his eyes.

"Thanks for coming." He swallowed hard, and reached over, taking her hand that was not in Rory's.

"Thanks for calling," he said softly. She sighed and offered him a meek smile, then turned back to her daughter.

**Let me know your thoughts**


	4. Epilogue

A/N

**Sarahb2007**- I haven't attended a school that actually had a shooting occur, but in the time I was in high school there were four bomb threats in which the school was evacuated, and I've known of several people who brought weapons to school. I think there was also a guy in my school who was stabbed, but I'm not sure about that one. It is really terrifying, and can change your whole perspective on things. All I can say is I'm glad I'm not in High School anymore.

**TheNextLorelai**- Living in Nova Scotia (Canada) I don't really hear gunshots all that often, lol. But it's a little funny, whenever we're down at the waterfront in our capital city, at noon there is a ceremonial shooting of cannons from one of our landmarks, and you can always tell who the American's are because they duck and cover :P. I just thought I'd add that in as a funny little anecdote.

And onto the epilogue

**Survival of the Strongest: Epilogue**

The weeks passed, and Rory's body slowly began to heal from her injuries. Internally, though, she was still haunted by the events of that day. When she closed her eyes she could feel his breath on her skin, his hands on her body, violating her. When she closed her eyes, she could see Tristan's lifeless body beside her, and felt the guilt of knowing he was only there because he had tried to protect her.

The worst reminder of that day, though, was the mild throbbing between her legs where she had been torn in his attempts to rape her. This reminder embarrassed and shamed her.

She had been given tons of support throughout the weeks though. Her mother had been there to talk, to cry, to offer a distraction, and she had welcomed it. Also, she'd been in contact with Tristan, who was coming along very well. She was comforted to know that he remembered nothing of the rape. She didn't want that on his conscience anymore then she wanted his shooting to be on hers. Despite their history, now that they had something in common, horrendous as it was, she felt connected with him in a way she hadn't before. This connection gave her a new appreciation for the boy who had taunted her so much in her first few months at Chilton.

One thing that made her even happier, though, was her mother's evolving relationship with Luke, whom she later learned had been there during the shooting with her mother every step of the way. His constant support had made her feel much more secure, and she knew Lorelai felt the same. For some reason, having a third person around the house made her feel very protected. She was glad that third person was Luke.

When it was time for her to go back to school, she could hardly breathe. Luke had gone with her and Lorelai to drop her off, hoping to provide Rory with support on the way there, and Lorelai with support on the way home.

"I'm scared, Mom," Rory admitted as they pulled up to the gates of Chilton. Lorelai swallowed hard and nodded.

"You'll be okay," she said, ignoring her own tingling fear. "You have your phone. Call me if you need me." Rory nodded and steeled herself to go inside.

"I love you mom," she said softly.

"I love you too babe. We'll be back to pick you up at 3:30 sharp." Rory pulled herself out of the car, and with one final, nervous look back, she began her trek to the doors.

"Rory," she heard from behind her. She looked back to see Tristan coming up to her. Having him there made her feel more secure, if only slightly. She could see that Lorelai and Luke were still waiting for her to go inside. She offered them a final wave before turning back to Tristan.

"Hey," she said, acknowledging him. He came up beside her and they both looked toward the school.

"You nervous?" he asked. She nodded.

"Given the circumstances, absolutely. Are you?" He shrugged.

"They're all dead, right?" he asked. She nodded, confirming that all of the gunmen had shot themselves after their rampage, with the exception of the one Rory shot herself.

"They're all dead."

"Then we'll be fine," he said. He put his arm around her waist, noticing her tense slightly, "is this okay?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. It's okay. It's just new," she said. He smiled.

"But a good new, right?" she returned his smile and nodded.

"A good new." He took in a deep breath as they both looked toward the school.

"Well, here goes nothing," he said. With his arm firmly around her waist the two made their way into the school once more, feeling secure together.

As they walked into the foyer, several pictures were blown up and lined along the walls. They depicted the fourteen students, three teachers, and janitor whom had been killed in the attacks. Surrounding them were flowers and wreaths, notes and pictures. Rory and Tristan made their ways through the newly installed metal detectors at the front entrance before heading in to start their day, and move on with their lives, knowing things would never be the same again.

**That's the end. Let me know what you thought**


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